The Marianas High School volleyball players pose with their first-place medals and trophy.
MHS team captain Jerome Manzon reaches for the spike over a SIS defender during the boys high school division championship game of the NMIVA-PSS Interscholastic Volleyball League SY23-24 at the Ada gym on Saturday.
MARIANAS High School retained their boys division title in the NMIVA-PSS Interscholastic Volleyball League for the third year in a row after defeating Saipan International School, 21-16, 21-14 at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium on Saturday.
Rather than the usual half court, the teams played in a full-sized court, which suited MHS well.
In the first set, MHS was in control as they unleashed continuous spike finishes. Team captain Jerome Manzon orchestrated the offensive as the receiver and the finisher, keeping returns alive while adding some flare with his spike finishes.
SIS fought back with their own series of highlights on the offensive and defensive ends. However, their inconsistency and errors kept them trailing behind.
Thanks to Mokyang Kim and Juruel Magtalas’ ability to leap high and block returns, MHS was able to bag the first set, 21-16.
In the second set, more action was seen on the MHS end of the court as Kyle Moon, Lowell Lumauag and KC Nuyles kept their team afloat with well-timed saves and setups while the rest of the roster played their roles accordingly to give MHS a comfortable eight-point lead.
During the final few possessions, SIS seemed to have found their second wind as their efforts started to show some results. But their time in the spotlight was short-lived as MHS recovered and quickly took over, scoring the final few points needed to secure the win, 21-14, and their third consecutive championship.
In the playoffs, MHS defeated Saipan Southern High School, 21-18, 21-18, and then SIS, 21-17, 21-19.
For MHS Coach Don Cabrera, it was only later in the season when his team started to mesh. “We were trying to gel with each other throughout the season, but in the end, we did pull through together and figured it all out,” Cabrera said. “We did play a little slow but when we get our gears going, we’re pretty good.” He noted that volleyball is a collective sport in which everyone must pull their weight.
He said the use of a full court in the playoffs was a big difference. “The benches were further away and there was more room in the back for jump shots, and when we needed to scramble, we could hustle for the ball,” Cabrera added.
He believes that each team has greatly improved this year, especially SIS. “I thought they would be good, but they proved me wrong — they were even better than I thought. They were third or fourth last year and this year they gave us a run for our money,” he said.
Cabrera thanked all the students for doing their best in class while being eligible to play and having their parents’ support. He also thanked the teachers for helping the students achieve their goals.
Half of the MHS team will graduate from high school, but the rest are now experienced players.
“The season was great,” MHS senior Mokyang Kim said. “At first the people were new and getting used to the tournament, but throughout the season we blended and showed up in the playoffs. We have a lot of juniors so I believe we can do a 4-peat,” he added.
